Feed apparatus with lock chambers for hydraulic conveying



o. HRABOVSZKY ETAL 2,943,890

July 5, 1960 FEED APPARATUS WITH LOCK CHAMBERS FOR HYDRAULIC CONVEYING Fil Nov. 25, 1957 INVENTORS 052mm f/maowzky BY Aim/v75 flA/vy/ m ,d M

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FEED APPARATUS WITH LOCK CHAMBERS FOR HYDRAULIC CONVEYING Oszkzir Hrabovszky and Levente Prinyi, Budapest, Hungary, assignors to Licencia Talalmnyokat Ertkesito Vallalat, Budapest, Hungary Filed Nov. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 698,509

Claims priority, application Hungary Dec. 1, 1956 3 Claims. (Cl. 30214) The invention is primarily intended for use in mining, where the mined raw material is mainly conveyed up through vertical shafts by means of shaft winding engines. The disadvantage of this method consists in that a good deal of dead weight in the form of cages, tubs etc. has to be moved together with the conveyed useful weight, thus requiring large shaft cross-sections, and requiring the services of a considerable amount of personnel.

According to an earlier patent, it Was proposed, for the shaft haulage of mined material, to use principally the water which wells up in the pits and is available in any case and has in fact to be conveyed out of the pit, or else to use water specially introduced for this purpose. The installation must be so arranged that the water is introduced into the conveying pipe in as pure a condition as possible by means of a high-pressure pump, expediently a centrifugal pump, and the material (coal ore) is introduced into this stream of Water by means of a feed apparatus. The mixture when brought to the surface is freed of water through screens, and the small grains, e.g. the fine coal, is separated from the water by clarification. Alternatively, the mixture can be conveyed directly into the washing plant.

This development permits uniform vertical shaft haulage in the stationary installation, i.e. the haulage of the material from the pit to the surface can be carried out continuously and without any interruptions.

The invention relates to a feed apparatus with lock chambers wherein the mixture is drawn by suction from the quantity regulating hopper into the pressure chamber by means of a piston cylinder during the period of charging the ore, coal or other materials. In this way the quantity regulation of the solid material is accelerated.

According to a further feature of the invention, the

upper cylinder is also used for accelerating the solid material into the high-pressure stream of water which forces the mixture out of the pressure chamber into the mixing chamber.

The invention also proposes using such connecting means as to connect on the one hand the lower end of the cylinder to the pressure chamber and on the other hand the upper end by means of a change-over valve, either to the part of the conveying pipe in which only pure water flows, or to the feed chamber, for the purpose of providing the same pressure simultaneously at both sides of the piston whilst the cylinder is in operation.

According to a further feature of the invention, the aforesaid piston cylinder takes from the pure-water conveying pipe a quantity of water equal to the volume of solid material introduced into the conveying pipe, in order that the introduction of material into the conveying pipe does not produce any pressure difference.

The invention is also characterised in that the feed apparatus has .a feed hopper with double walls which is equipped with means for producing an overflow of pure water equal to the measured volume of coal, ore or like material.

The invention, i.e. the feed apparatus can also be so constructed that the accelerating piston cylinder feeds.

to the outer chamber of the feed hopper during the suction period the same quantity of Water as is taken, i.e. taken by suction, from the inner chamber of the hopper during the feed period, whereby the overflow of water at the overflow pipe'will always be equal to measured-off volume of solid material.

According to a further development of the invention, the feed installation can be provided with hydraulically operated vflves for shutting off the lock chambers.

A further development of the invention provides between the lock chambers, valves for pressure equalisation and air evacuation, and which are also used for the flow of water for closing or opening the aforesaid valves hydraulically.

Finally, the invention is characterised further in that, for the purpose of isolating the lock chambers, it is provided with valves which are movable hydraulically or mechanically on tracks. One form of embodiment of the apparatus developed according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on AA of Figure 1. v I

With the apparatus according to the invention feed is periodic, and the method of operation of the apparatus will be described by describing the events of one working period.

Material is fed into the upper hopper 1 of the cham her A through the tubular aperture 2 at the top of the said chamber. Before quantity regulation, the water in the chamber A is at the level X; at the same time, the valve- 3 in its lower position illustrated in the drawings cannot block the aperture between the chambers A and B, i.e. cannot separate the chambers from one another.-

ings as a result of mechanical or hydraulic action in the cylinder, and in so doing subjects the chamber A to a suction effect through the conduit 5 which connects with the chamber B. As a result of this action, the downward flow of the solid constituents descending in the 'water in the chamber A is accelerated, i.e. their passage into the chamber B is promoted. At this time, the upper aperture of the cylinder chamber 4 is made to comm'unicate with the outer hopper space 7 of the chamber A by the appropriate adjustment of the change-over valve 6 and through the conduit 20, the piston 4:: conveying to the said space 7 the quantity of pure water situated above the said piston. This inflow of pure water reaches a temporary maximum level u when the piston is in its uppermost position, and the water level in the inner hopper chamber A drops at the same time to s.

Owing to the difference between the levels it and s between the outer and inner chambers, pure water flows from the outer chamber through the aperture 10 into the inner chamber. The overflow valve 8 and the aperture 10, whose dimensions are adjustable, must be so regulated that at the end of the period the average level x should be reached both in the inner chamber and in the outer chamber. Thus through the aperture 10 a flow will always be produced in the directioin from the chamber 7 into the chamber A, i.e. there is always pure water in the chamber 7' and pure water also flows out through the valve 8 and overflow pipe 9. In this way it is ensured that no coal can get into the pipe, and even the suspended grains are conveyed immediately out of the chamber A towards the conveying pipe.

the

theisuction period a similar atmospheric pres- 7 sure prevails in the chambers A and B. At'the end of the feed period the aerodynamically shaped shutofi valve 7 3, ,which isarranged on the three-armed valve carrier 11 (shown in detail in Figure 2) and on the. valve' support 1"2 beginsto ascend owing to the hydraulic piston-cylinder arrangement with which it is" provided"internally,completelyl shutting ofi the aperture between the chambersfi g ngv I One of the three arms illustrated in Figure 2,the arm designated, with the reference numeral 14, is perforated with a through; bore. .T h'is bore is in communication with the lower'half, of, the likewise internally cylindershapedvalve support 12, and the piston (not shown) formed; by the lower endot the valve'steni 3, moved up-- pressure or suction.

fAfter the valve 3 changes to a'position (not shown. in the drawings) such tiiat it allows the chamber Bf preferably to communicate with the chamber C andlshu ts ofi the'chamber A' from the two aforesaid chambers. The high" working pressurealways, prevails in theich amber C. The said high working pressure to prevail infthe chamberB also. After pressure'equilibrium eifected by" valves 13 and 6 between the chambers B and 7C haslfbn achieved, the'i valve 15,Which hitherto separated the chamber'B from thechamber (land is identical in construction to the valve 3 and is similarly operated, begins to open.

Simult aneouslyuwith the actuation of the valve 13, the'change-over valve 6 causes the cylinder chamberi 4 above the piston 40 to communicate with the 'zone 16 ofjthe conveyingpipe in which still only pure waterfis conveyed under the high workingpressure. This at both sides of the piston in the cylinder, high working pressure prevails. Then the compression period of the piston cylinder commences, i.e. the piston begins to move downwards .and downwards; under the efiect of the hydraulic is closed, thechang'e-over valve owing to the change-over then allows the valve 3 to openand ensures that the valve blocks its associated aperture completely. With the opening of the valve 3 1 one entire feed cycle is completed and the whole process can be repeated again from the beginning.

' For the hydraulic movement of the valve 3, a Iflow. of pure water can be used for closing purposespsaid flqwj being under approximately atmosphericpressure, and a branched-01f stream from the pure'water flowing under;

' actuation of the change-over valve 13*now causes the high working pressure in the pipe 16" can be'us'ed fori operating the hydraulic piston cylinder which is adapted to move the valve 15. V

It should he mentioned that the. aforesaid form of embodiment of the apparatus is only intended as an example. The invention alsocoversvarious otherfsolutions, e.g. it is possiblewithinthe scope'of the invention. to combine two .feed apparatuses for working together,

whereby the'quantity of solid materials fed'to the conuniiormly'ithroughthe'eonveyingpipei Having now particularly describ veying p'pe is doubled and'the mixture is conveyed more feeding-chamber and provided with an orifice of adjustt able" size affording communicationbetween the feeding, chamber and surroundingjaclset, an intermediate pressure. chamber communicating at} its-Iupperend with the lowerportion of the feeding'chamber, a lower mixing" chamber communicating at its upper end" with the intermediate pressure chamber, means connecting the, lower wardlyp For the further operation of the piston, it is I only 'Iiecessary'to supply a small amount of energy to the piston rod in 'order to overcome frictional loss.

Under'the action of the pressure period the solid" material fed to the chamber C is conveyed partly as a result of its own weight and'partly owing to the acceleration caused by the piston pressure, into the stream of water in the conveying pipe 16, and the mixture thus produced is conveyed to, the surface'in the conveying pipe. At the end of the compression period the chamber B is'cornpletely 'free and the chamber Cfree for the most-part of the grains of solid material, and therefore the valve 15 cannow be closed, said valve closing the aperture between the chambers B and C through the agency of the three-armed valve carrier 17 and the verticalj valve support 18 (by a method offoperationkin every way similar to that describedwith' reference to. the parts 11 and 12). After the change-over valve 13. hasheen adjusted, thechambers A and B are again put. in communication with one another and in the chamber B 'the pressure suddenly falls to atmospheric pressure. At thev same time the change-over valve 6 connects the cylinder chamber 4'. above the piston 4a with the outer endof the mixing chamber to the liquid conduit, valve means operable to close and open communication be tween the feeding chamber and intermediate pressure chamber and to close and open communication between .the intermediate pressure chamber and the mixing chamher, a double-acting reciprocating accelerating pump having a cylinder and 'a piston, means connecting one end of the cylinder to the intermediate pressure chamber, means connecting the other end of the cylinder to said jacket and to the liquid conduit, and a change-over valve for alternately placing said other end of the pump cyl-f inder incommunication with the jacket and liquid coni duit.

2. A feeding apparatus according to claim I in which 7 said jacket includes a drain pipe with a throttle valve,

7, and means regulating the amount of liquid in the space chamber. 1. of the feed chamber. Thesuddenpressure equilibrium produced hetween'the chambers A and Bi between the surrounding jacket and'the feeding chamber,

in consequence of which liquid will discharge throughjthe drain pipe equal to the volumes of the fed solid substances.

3. A feeding apparatus according to claim 1' including valve means-connecting the intermediate pressure cham ber alternately to the feeding and mixing chambers. to

equalize the pressure 'therebetween during reciprocating 7 movement of the piston.

. References Citedin the file of this'patenti ii mm mmi m l, inn-H 

